


A Truth So Loud

by carry_on_my_gayward_son



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: High School AU, Homecoming AU, Implied Smut, Klance fake dating, M/M, PINING KEITH, Senior year, fake dating au, footballer keith, keith kogane - Freeform, klance, klance angst, klance fluff, lance mcclain - Freeform, photographer lance, pining lance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-28
Updated: 2019-11-28
Packaged: 2021-02-26 05:54:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 12,734
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21588694
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/carry_on_my_gayward_son/pseuds/carry_on_my_gayward_son
Summary: Lance has kept to Coran's good side for weeks now in the hopes of getting to photograph the homecoming dance, but Pidge is sneaky and weaseled her way into photographing the dance. So now Lance is stuck with the homecoming game and he won't be able to go to the dance anymore, so life is really kicking his ass. But at least he gets to ogle his long time crush and quarterback extraordinaire, Keith Kogane, in the meantime.Keith never planned to go to the dance. He just wanted to stay home and watch some anime, but then his idiot of a best friend, Acxa, spilled the beans to Shiro that Keith didn't have a date. So now he has to find himself a date with less than a week to go before the dance. Luckily, there's one person he can think to go to.
Relationships: Acxa & Veronica (Voltron), Keith/Lance (Voltron)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 225





	1. Chapter 1 - Lance

My heart stops. “You got the dance?”

Pidge nods across the table from me. “Yeah. I told you, I went to see Coran and asked for it.” She looks up. “Why do you sound so surprised? You know I would never go anywhere near any form of physical activity.”

I look down at the table and try to swallow the feeling of utter dismay in my gut. “I just figured you’d know that I can’t afford a ticket to the dance otherwise.”

I glance up at Pidge and she looks really guilty. Hunk is sitting beside her just glancing between us with a box of cookies in his hand that I can tell he’s itching to offer us.

“It’s fine. I went last year. This is fair, I guess,” I mutter, looking back down at my sandwich.

“Lance… I’ll go talk to Coran. You can have the dance. I forgot. I’m sorry. We can all go together,” Pidge says in a rush.

I shake my head. “Pidge, you don’t have to. I know I’ll do better than you at the game considering I don’t hate it as much as you. It’ll turn out better for the school this way.”

Pidge must know I won’t make her be the photographer of the football game because she backs down with a slight nod and reaches for Hunk’s box of cookies.

Pidge and I are the only two photographers on the newspaper and yearbook committee at Garrison Academy, so naturally with homecoming rolling around, one of us was bound to be assigned the game and the other the dance. Neither of us wanted the game, especially with the knowledge that you got into the dance for free as the photographer. But I thought maybe we’d draw straws. I guess I underestimated how much Pidge wanted to be assigned the dance.

Pidge clears her throat. “Uh, Coran wanted to talk to you about the game. Just, by the way.”

With that, I pick up my lunch and backpack with a sigh before heading in the direction of Coran’s office without saying bye to either of my friends.

Coran’s one of the English teachers at school, but he only teaches like two classes. Most of his time is spent revising newspaper drafts and planning all year round for the annual yearbook. I think some higher power got pissed at him for having to deal with as little classes as he has because he has the shittiest office in the whole school. I’d think it was a hot water cupboard except there are no hot water cylinders and there is a window. But other than that, there’s room for a desk, his chair, an extra chair, and the many shelves lining the upper half of the walls. He’s standing on his desk reaching up to one of the high shelves when I walk in.

“Lance!” He exclaims and almost falls off the desk.

“Hey Coran. You good there?” I ask, dropping my bag to the floor and sitting in the extra chair.

“I’m fine, Lance. Just give me… let me… I just need to…” he mumbles.

I watch awkwardly as he tries to get off the desk without either hitting his head on a shelf or falling. Eventually he manages it. Then he sits in his own chair and turns to me with a deep exhale.

“So, Lance, what can I do for you?”

“Uh, Pidge told me you wanted to talk to me about the homecoming game.”

Coran’s face is blank for a few seconds before he jumps up and reaches for a stack of books on one of the shelves. They all fall on top of him and I jump out of my seat to check that he’s okay. He waves me off and picks up one of the fallen books.

“This is the yearbook draft. Of course, it’s only October, so there’s plenty of time to fill this,” he pauses to sit again. “What I’m worried about is not getting photos of the game for the newspaper.”

I do the quick math in my head. “But doesn’t the newspaper go out two days after the game? That’s enough time to get some photos printed. Especially if the layout’s organized beforehand.”

Coran puts up a hand to silence me. “No. It won’t work. You’ll have to go to the trainings and take photos there.”

I know that Shay – the girl writing the piece on the homecoming game – will write it the next day and get it in on time, and that I’d have enough time to get my photos to Allura for editing, but I don’t want to risk pissing Coran off. Plus, it’s already a bad situation. What’s one more shitty thing in my life?

The bell rings and I look up before glancing back at Coran. “Alright fine. I’ll go along tomorrow and get some photos.”

“Thanks, Lance. You’re a good kid,” he says as I pick up my backpack and leave his office.

I groan and force myself to sit through my last two classes of the day before I drive myself home in my pick-up truck. My mama raises an eyebrow at me as I storm in and up the stairs, but she just says that me and my sister Veronica are on dinner duty.

-

The next day after school I let Pidge walk me down to the café on the corner to buy me an “I’m Sorry” coffee. We get back to school just as the football team is starting practice and she offers to stay with me, but I wave her off, telling her to go work on her computing assignment. I picked the perfect activity to tempt her with because she rushes off, yelling a goodbye over her shoulder.

I sit down on the bleachers while the players start to warm up and I fiddle with my camera, glancing up every so often at the guys on the field. The very first time I look out at the lycra-clad lads, I spot Keith Kogane, arguably the best quarterback the school has ever had and the most attractive guy in school – also possibly the gayest. I might have been harbouring a huge crush on him since freshman year when I saw him shirtless in PE for the first time since the start of the summer. Can anyone say glow-up?

He looks up just as I’m staring at him and catches my eye from across the field. I blush and go back to sorting out my camera.

Once I’ve got the lens sorted and I’ve checked that my SD card has heaps of space on it, I abandon my things on the bleachers, sling my camera around my neck and carry my coffee down to the side lines. The coach nods at me – I emailed him earlier in the day to let him know what was happening.

“Go ahead, Lance. I’ve filled the team in on what’s going on. Hopefully they don’t start acting like imbeciles once you start pointing your camera at them.”

I grin at Coach Iverson and move down the pitch to start taking some photos. For the most part, the guys on the field are just focused on practicing, but every so often a couple of them will pose and make silly faces. The only one not to mess around a bit so far is Keith. Not that I’m complaining. I have plenty of photos of him looking seriously down the field. He’s got his mullet tied back off his face, but a few strands have fallen out and frame his face. I just know I’m going to really enjoy looking back through all of these photos later.

I’m kneeling on the grass, pointing my camera at a few of the guys down the end of the field who are watching the practice game and taking a breather. Then a pair of legs blocks my vision and I jump. I’m less than a metre from the guy. I look up and make eye contact with Keith, who’s holding the ball and looking down at me with a smile and a raised eyebrow.

“Getting a bit close, aren’t you?” He asks, still smiling down at me.

I blush and carefully drop my camera into my lap. “Uh, um, yeah. Sorry.”

His smile deepens and I think he might be blushing too, but he’s been running around so probably not.

“I like your jacket,” he says, and my face gets redder.

My hand twitches a little and I’m desperate to continue the conversation but Coach Iverson yells across the field at Keith, telling him to stop flirting and get on with practice. This just worsens my blush. One of Keith’s teammates wolf whistles and this is when I decide to call it a day. I rush over to the coach, ducking my head to avoid eye contact, and thank him for letting me come to practice before I hurry over to my things and race away from the football field.

As I’m rushing along the side lines again to get to my car, I swear I hear someone yell, “Hey! Kogane! Eyes on the game!” but I just shake my head and speed up.


	2. Chapter 2 - Keith

The second I see Shiro’s number show up on my phone during lunch I know I’m in the shit.

“Hey bro,” I answer tentatively, just in case I’ve misjudged the situation.

“Are you meaning to tell me that not only is the dance this Saturday, but that you are also going alone!” I think it was meant to come out as a question, but somewhere in the middle he starts yelling and it turns into a statement.

“Who told you?” I sigh.

“Acxa. You know, your only friend. Who, by the way, you cannot go to the dance with because she told me she has a date,” he lectures me.

I roll my eyes and glare across the table at Acxa, who shrugs and pokes her tongue out at me.

“She’s not my _only_ friend. I’m also friends with Hunk.”

“Hunk is your cooking partner. Speaking of, thank him for the A you got in that class. Listen, I know you, and I know that you will have been asked to the dance by at least six people by now, but you’ve said no to all of them because you insist on going alone. Am I right?”

He’s right. But I can’t tell him that. I also can’t tell him that I didn’t plan to go in the first place.

“Uh, no. Well, yeah I’ve been asked out by a few people, but I’ve said no for a different reason.”

Shiro is silent on the other end, obviously waiting for my stupid excuse.

“Uh, well, you see I’m wanting to ask out this particular person, but I’m having difficulty working up the nerve.” Acxa raises her eyebrows at me and it’s my turn to poke my tongue out at her.

“Oh, really? Who?” Shiro asks in my ear.

“Uh, I don’t want to say unless they say no,” I answer.

Acxa squints at me and I turn away from her so that I can focus on fooling Shiro.

“Well, you better ask this guy before tomorrow afternoon, because if he says yes then I’ll have to order a boutonniere for him for Saturday. It’s Wednesday, Keith! Why did you leave this so late?”

I apologise and promise that I’ll have dinner ready for him and Adam later before hanging up.

“What was that about, and why haven’t I heard about this mystery guy yet?” Acxa demands.

Shit. I didn’t think she’d fall for it. “Um, what about your mystery girl that is your actual date that you didn’t tell me about?” I accuse her, pointing a finger in her face.

“I did tell you.” She deadpans. “You just never listen. I told you last night after you finished practice.”

Oh. Right. When I was busy thinking about that cute photographer Lance. Shit I’m a bad friend. Though, she did go and rat me out to Shiro, so maybe we’re equal.

“So, what about this guy?”

Luckily, the bell rings, saving me from having to lie in great detail. “Just the same reason as not telling Shiro, I guess. I’m sorry. Talk later? I have calc now.”

Acxa sighs but nods as I quickly gather my things and rush out of the cafeteria.

Shit. Now I have to find myself a fake date.

-

See, the thing with Lance McClain is that we used to be best friends. We were actually best friends for eleven years. We came out at the same time in eighth grade – me as gay, and him as bi. Then we got to high school, and I joined a whole bunch of sports teams, while he joined all the clubs that were associated with photography. He started acting weird around me almost as soon as we started freshman year and eventually we just stopped being best friends. He became really close with Hunk and Pidge, while I became really close with Acxa.

The fact that I was madly in love with him made the friendship break-up a lot more painful than it would have otherwise been.

I still am in love with him, if I’m being honest. Sure, the end of our friendship hurt (a lot) but seeing all of his work displayed around the school, in newspapers (both school and local ones), in the yearbook, and on the school website just made me want to run to him, press my lips to his and tell him how proud I am of everything he’s accomplished.

So, when I approach him at the end of history and ask him to talk, it’s both the smartest and dumbest plan I’ve ever had. Yeah, ask the guy Shiro knows I have history with to be my fake boyfriend for the dance – pretty smart, if I must say so. Then I can lay on the built up sexual tension stuff. On the flip side, asking the guy I’m hopelessly in love with to be my fake boyfriend – stupid. Stupid. Stupid.

“Keith,” he stutters as I drag him to the back of the emptying classroom.

His voice still makes my stomach swirl with want. I push the feeling down and look up at him.

“Will you be my date to the homecoming dance?” I ask, just ripping off the band aid.

His mouth drops open and then closes a few times.

“Uh, wait! As my fake boyfriend!” I clarify, though it doesn’t make it better.

He shakes his head and looks at me, no longer gaping like a fish. “What?”

I sigh. “Shiro was nagging me about going to the dance alone so to shut him up I told him I was working up the nerve to ask a certain guy.”

A blush spreads across Lance’s face and he’s so cute that it hurts. “So… what? This guy say no?”

“No, actually. There was no guy. I just said it to get him off my back. But yanno I figured cause we used to be friends, and you’re really cute-” Yup that made him blush - success. “-That I’d ask you to be my fake boyfriend for a couple of days.”

Lance looks down at the floor and when he looks up again, he looks sorry. “I can’t. I’m sorry, Keith. I would have loved to help.”

My heart sinks. “Oh. You already have a date. Sorry. I should’ve known.”

Lance winces and tilts his head. “It’s not that. I’m not going to the dance.”

Fuck. If I thought I was a bad friend to Acxa, then I’m an even worse ex-best friend.

“Lance, I’m sorry. I forgot about your financial situation. Listen, I’d be happy to pay for your ticket.”

“No, Keith. It’s okay. I’m just going to stay home and watch some Doctor Who.”

I reach out and take his hand. “Lance, even if you don’t want to be my fake boyfriend, let me pay for your ticket. It’s our senior year, our last homecoming dance. You have to go.”

He stares down at our entwined hands for a few silent seconds then looks up at me with his dark blue eyes. “Alright. I’ll be your fake boyfriend.”

I grin and leap forward to wrap my arms around him. He tenses but then slides his arms around my waist in return.

“Thank you,” I whisper.

Lance pulls away, placing his hands on my shoulders and says, “Don’t thank me yet. We still have to convince everyone that we’re dating.”

I watch as he looks down at his watch and sighs. “I have to go to a yearbook committee meeting now. I’ll text you later so we can figure out the details. Your number still the same?”

Lance does indeed text me later that night after I’ve finished football practice. We decide it’s safer if we just tell everyone that we’re dating, rather than risk Shiro finding out it was all a ruse. I tell him that as thanks for buying his ticket he has to act as the adoring boyfriend at the homecoming game. He says he’s fine with that as long as he gets to wear my letterman jacket. I have to take a couple of moments before replying because the mental image of him in my jacket almost kills me.

We agree that kissing is fine – another thing that will kill me – and that he’s going to come over to my house just before the dance so Shiro and Adam can take photos. I also tell him that Shiro will expect him to be there for dinner. Lance is fine with that. I ask him what colour boutonniere he wants, and he says blue.

We’re still texting around midnight, organising how we’re going to go about our whole scheme. I won’t lie, the longer we talk about it and the more we talk in general, the more excited I get. That’s the first sign of danger that I completely ignore.

-

The next morning, I wake up with my phone in my hand and a big smile on my face. I float through my morning routine, finally heading down the hall to the kitchen, where Adam is brewing some coffee and Shiro is staring blankly into a yogurt container.

“Morning!” I greet them both happily.

Shiro jolts out of his tired trance and squints over at me. “What’s up with you? You’re happy for once.”

Adam looks over too and immediately matches his grin with mine. “He asked out his boy!”

Shiro’s eyes widen and he straightens. “What?! Why didn’t you tell me? I’ll take it that he said yes?”

I nod in answer to his last question and choose to ignore the others, instead reaching into the pantry for the box of Lucky Charms. Adam _aww_ s while I pour myself a bowl of cereal.

“So, do we get to know who it is now?” Shiro asks.

“Lance McClain. My boyfriend,” I say, setting the scene for the next week’s charade.

There’s silence. I turn, suddenly worried, but there’s no reason to be. Adam and Shiro are smiling at each other knowingly.

Shiro turns to me, still smiling and asks, “I thought you two didn’t like each other anymore.”

Adam grins. “Built up too much sexual tension between you, did you?”

I blush and splutter. “No! We never hated each other. I’ve actually been in love with him for years. I just decided to act on it.”

“Hm,” Shiro replies.

I know he wants to say more but I glance at the clock and almost spit out my mouthful of cereal. “Shit. I’m going to be late!”

“Language!” Shiro calls with a laugh as I race towards the front door, grabbing my bag on the


	3. Chapter 3 - Lance

I didn’t think we’d start telling people right away, but Keith strolls over to my truck the second I pull into the carpark, and he knocks on the window. I guess with the game tomorrow night, it makes sense that we’d tell everyone today, but Keith throws me off.

“Morning,” he says as I open the door and climb out.

I murmur a reply and reach back into the truck to grab my bag. The door is just closing under my touch when I feel a hand slipping into my free hand. Surprised, I look up at him, cheeks flushing, and he grins at me.

“Ready to do this?” I nod and his grin widens.

Keith and I walk hand-in-hand into school and we’ve barely made it three steps when Pidge seems to appear out of nowhere, Hunk following in her wake.

“What’s going on here?” She demands.

I look down at my hand entwined with Keith’s and am tempted to pull away, but I hold fast.

“Uh, you guys know Keith, right?” I ask sheepishly.

Hunk nods and Pidge rolls her eyes. “Yeah. You never shut up about him. We’d have to be deaf to not know.”

My cheeks flush a deeper red and I look down at the floor. Pidge laughs.

“Wow, I’ve officially never seen Lance this awkward. You broke our man, Kogane.”

Hunk rolls his eyes. “So? Are you two dating? Or did you just magically get over your weird friendship break-up and become very smoochy?”

Keith and I both freeze up at the mention of our past and I look up at him. He raises an eyebrow at me, and I nod slightly. Without any other warning, he leans in and presses a gentle kiss to my lips. Before I can respond to it, he’s pulling away again and turning to Hunk and Pidge.

“We’re dating,” he says simply.

Pidge raises an eyebrow before her face breaks out into a grin. “Fuckin’ finally.”

I can feel one of Pidge’s ramblings that reveal all my secrets coming, so I let go of Keith’s hand and give Pidge a pointed look. Before I can say bye to Keith, he’s leaning in and pressing a soft kiss to my cheek.

“I’ll see you later,” he whispers.

I feel my cheeks flush and I nod before following Hunk and Pidge down the hallway towards our homeroom. We’ve barely even sat down when Hunk reaches out and shakes my shoulder.

“You finally got him! You have to tell me everything. How long has this been going on? Who asked who out? Oh my God! Are you going to the dance together?” He says, only stopping to take a deep breath.

I’m about to reply when Pidge’s tiny head pops into the gap between me and Hunk. I jump back and glare at her.

“You become more of a gremlin every day.”

She glares and leans in towards my face. “Did this happen at football practice the other night? When you were taking photos?”

I roll my eyes. “Yeah. Sure, I guess.”

She huffs with a grin on her face. “You’re welcome,” she chirps.

It’s my turn to glare. “You had nothing to do with this. There’s nothing to thank you for.”

I watch as Pidge rolls her eyes but before she can speak, the bell rings and our teacher walks in. I shoot her a smug grin and turn back to the front of the room.

-

Eight hours later, I’m at home and I’m regretting all of my life choices. Veronica – that twat – is sitting across from me in the kitchen with a giant grin on her face, and my mom is staring me down from the oven. The she-devil (Veronica) decided it would be a top-notch idea to tell Mamá about Keith.

“I want to meet him,” she says.

My jaw drops open and I swear Veronica’s grin widens, which I didn’t think was possible.

“Mamá! Why?” I demand.

“Any boy – or girl – who wants to take out either of my babies has to meet me first. I have to approve,” Mamá explains. “It’s only right. Bring him over tonight after that football practice you’re going to.”

I splutter over my orange juice and look up at my evil twin. “But you haven’t met Roni’s date!”

Veronica’s head snaps from Mamá to me and her jaw hits the floor seconds before the death glare replaces it. I slide my chair out to avoid the kick she aims at my legs and I make a big show of looking at the clock.

“Oh! Look at the time! I have to get to practice. Great photos wait for no man. Bye Mamá. Te amo. Bye Roni,” I say smugly before darting out of the kitchen to avoid the half sandwich she throws at me.

-

I’m setting up my camera and tripod on the side line when a strong pair of arms wraps around my shoulders. I turn my head to the right and see Keith resting his head on my shoulder.

“Hi,” he says with a smile aimed up at me.

“Hey. Struggling to keep your hands to yourself?” I tease him.

A flush creeps on to his cheeks and he buries his face in my shoulder, mumbling something into my jacket.

“What was that, sweetheart?” I ask, grinning.

“Nothing. Just wondering where flirty Lance was hiding,” he says as he lifts his head.

I wriggle my shoulders and Keith unwraps his arms. He sits next to my tripod and looks up at me.

“So, why didn’t you tell me you were coming tonight?” He asks.

I shrug. “Coran just decided after school that he wanted a wider range of shots. He’ll probably decide he likes the ones from tomorrow night better. Didn’t have a lot of time after school to let you know. Oh! Speaking of… Can I ask a favour?”

He raises an eyebrow. “Hm, tell me what it is, and I’ll consider.”

I crouch down and take one of his hands in mine. “I’m so sorry but can you please come to my place for a quick visit after practice? My mom wants to meet you before she’ll let you take me out.”

“Wow. We’re really good at faking. Your mom does know that she knows me, right?” He grins.

“She hasn’t seen you in four years. I don’t think you can blame her for insisting on a meeting.” I can’t help grinning back.

“Sure, I’ll come. I mean, I don’t really have a choice if I want you to keep being my fake boyfriend long enough to take you to the dance on Saturday, do I?”

“Thank you,” I whisper softly.

He smiles at me and squeezes my hand. I want to say something else, but I like staring at his eyes, and I don’t want to look away. But Coach Iverson is yelling suddenly, and Keith is looking away, and my heart is sinking in my chest. So, I stand up, fix my camera’s focus and start taking photos.

-

“Okay. Please just go with my mom’s craziness. She’s Cuban. I can’t help her. And please ignore my sister – Veronica, my twin. You know her. She’s going to the dance with Acxa. My dad’s working tonight, and Marco and his wife are out of town for a few months, so my niece and nephew are also away, but Rachel and Luis are here. And Rachel has a boyfriend that visits for dinner. He isn’t Cuban. He’s normal. And -”

“Hey. Calm down. I know your family. I grew up with your family. Everything will be fine,” Keith says, cutting me off.

I sigh and hang my head. “I’m just nervous.”

His hand slips into mine and he rubs his thumb over my wrist. “I know.”

“I know this is fake and all, but it’s still my family meeting a boy that I’m going out with. And I don’t know if my mom will bring up the fact that we didn’t speak for the better part of high school and -”

Before I can say any more, Keith’s mouth is on mine and his hands are on my shoulders. I don’t have time to react before he’s pulling away again.

“Huh- I- What?” I stutter.

Keith shrugs. “I tried shutting you up with words. I figured since that didn’t work, kissing would work better.” He grins. “Was I wrong?”

I shake my head and let a smirk crawl on to my face as I step forward to slip an arm around his waist and pull him closer. “Are you sure that was your reasoning? Are you sure you just couldn’t live another minute without kissing me?”

He groans but doesn’t step out of my reach. “How about we just go inside instead of standing out on the front porch for another ten minutes? Huh?”

“Okay. Yeah. Let’s go.”

I take my arm away from Keith’s waist, and instead slide my hand into his. “Come on then, Babe.”

He huffs a laugh and lets me lead him into the house. Almost the second we step inside, Veronica pounces on me.

“Where have you been? Mamá made me invite Acxa over tomorrow since neither of us are going to the game! Hi Keith. Good to have you back. Lance! You are a rat! I am going to kill you!”

I’m rolling my eyes just as Keith says, “Please don’t go killing my boyfriend, Vera.”

Roni gags and turns her attention to Keith. “I take it back. Go away again. Don’t come back.”

I slide my arms around Keith’s waist and look at my sister as I rest my head on his shoulder. “He’s not going anywhere, Roni.”

She turns to me again with a grin. “You’re my favourite sibling. I’ll forgive you for the rat thing.” She pauses. “But I can’t save you from Mamá.”

I swear the women in my family are evil demons sent from hell itself to torture me because the second my evil twin stops talking my dear Mamá appears in the doorway to the kitchen with a big smile on her face.

“Keith! Lovely to see you again!” She greets him with a hug.

“You too, Señora McClain,” he replies.

Mamá’s heart visibly melts at Keith’s pronunciation. “Oh, Keith. Don’t be silly. Just call me Andrea.”

“Will do, _Andrea_ ,” he says, and my mom smiles in such a way that has me believing she plans to adopt Keith and replace me with him.

“So, Mamá, now that you’ve seen the guy taking me to the dance and you love him, can Keith please go. Shiro and Adam will be expecting him,” I say.

Mamá looks at me and seems to consider this. Then she says, “You can’t kick out your boyfriend. Ask him to stay for dinner.”

“Mamá -” I start but am cut off by her glare.

I sigh and turn to Keith. “Would you like to stay for dinner?”

I look up from the floor to him and see the grin on his face. He squeezes the hand that is still locked with mine.

“Would you like to stay forever?” Veronica asks before Keith can even answer.

“Can you stop quoting Mulan?” I turn on her, exasperated.

She shrugs and skips out of the entry hall. Keith laughs beside me, and I turn back to him.

“Dinner would be great.” He smirks.

I groan and stab a finger at his chest. ‘You’re next on my hit list. Right after that wretched twin of mine.”

Mamá is smiling at us when we turn back to her but if she planned to comment then she must change her mind. “You can use the landline to call Shiro and Adam to let them know. Dinner will be ready in fifteen. Lance, take Keith up to your room. I’m sure he’d like to see how it’s changed.”

And just like that, my mom is trying to get me laid. Just fling me into space now.

But I lead Keith up the stairs to my room and pause outside the door. “Okay. Please, just, don’t make fun of it.”

Keith leans in close and looks down at my mouth. “Wouldn’t dream of it.”

And now I’m hoping I get laid. Shit.

Before I can do something stupid like leaning in to kiss him, I turn the doorknob and push the door open. Keith looks up past me into my room and a grin breaks out on his face. He steps around me and immediately goes to my photo wall.

My photo wall is one whole wall of my room with heaps of developed images I’ve taken or that people have taken of me that are tacked to the wall. I never take any down; I just keep adding. There’s probably six layers of photos at this point.

“This is amazing,” Keith says.

I don’t want to get any closer to him. I’m half terrified that I’ll push him up against the wall and kiss him senseless. Which wouldn’t go down well. So, instead of stepping inside my room I just lean against the doorframe. Keith sends a quick glance over his shoulder at me but turns back to the wall and keeps examining the photos.

“How long have you been doing this?” He asks.

I take a step forward without thinking about it. “Uh, a couple years I guess. I didn’t really plan it. I just looked up one day and it was there.”

Keith laughs at this and steps closer to the centre of the wall. I watch as he lifts a hand and traces a finger over the few photos right in the centre.

“This is us,” he says, not looking at me, eyes fixated on the wall.

I look at the photos under his finger and gulp. Originally, right in the centre of the wall had been old, black-and-white photos of my parents and grandparents as children. Then I’d tacked some colour photos of me and my siblings and our parents over those. And then, one day my mom had come into my room with a box of photos from my childhood. Before I knew it, only photos of Keith and I covered the centre of the wall.

“Oh. Yeah.”

He tests a pull at one of them and then carefully takes it off the wall. I can’t help the curiosity building, so I walk over and look over his shoulder at the picture in his hand. It’s of us on our first day of high school. His arms are around my neck and I have a hand rested on his hip. We’re both laughing, but you can’t see Keith’s whole face. You can see mine, though. I’m staring straight down at Keith with the purest look of adoration and love I’ve ever seen on anyone’s face.

“I miss this,” Keith says simply.

I lean into him before I can lose my nerve. “Me too.”

He looks at me leaning against his side and he smiles softly. He looks back up at the wall and puts the photo in his hand back.

“I think your mom was pretty convinced.”

I laugh. “I think she was so convinced that she’s probably planning what flowers will be at the wedding.”

Keith glances at me with a grin. “We could definitely still work on the affection, though.”

I raise an eyebrow. “Oh?”

He shrugs and goes to sit on the bed. “Yanno, like kissing and stuff?”

I fight the blush rising in my cheeks. “Ha, yeah. Right. Um, should we practice?”

Keith turns to me, gaping. “What?”

My hand finds its way to the back of my neck and to avoid shuffling my feet, I just go sit beside him on the bed. “Well, you said we could work on the affection. I just figured… Sorry. I made you uncomfortable.”

Keith’s hand finds mine and he lifts it to his mouth so he can press a kiss to it. “You just took me by surprise. I’m fine with practicing.”

I nod and smirk at him. “Alright then, Mullet. Pucker up.”

He rolls his eyes at the old nickname but closes his eyes as I lean in. Then my lips are on his and I’m forgetting how to function. I feel a hand press against my chest and then Keith pushes me away.

“You actually have to move your lips, McClain. And don’t forget to breathe, otherwise I’ll be taking a corpse to the dance.”

I chuckle. “Right. Sorry. Let’s try again.”

This time I slide a hand around the back of his neck and place my other hand on his hip. I move my mouth against his. And he moves his mouth against mine in return. I don’t realise that I’ve pushed him backwards on to the bed until my chest is pressing against his and he’s wrapping a leg around my waist. His t-shirt slides up and I take the opportunity to rub my thumb over the skin there. Keith groans into my mouth and I smirk against his lips. His hands are in my hair and he tugs as he groans, causing me to bite his lip, which just makes him groan again.

I’m starting to slide my hand up his bare waist when there’s a knock at the door and Veronica throws it open. Keith and I jump apart. He presses up against the headboard and I leap across the room towards my desk. Veronica is wearing a shit-eating grin and sends me a knowing look.

“Dinner’s ready, lover boys.”

Then she’s gone and I’m looking at Keith, both of us flushed. He smiles shyly at me and I gesture to the door.

“Uh, should we go down?”

He nods and follows me awkwardly downstairs.


	4. Chapter 4 - Keith

Acxa and I decided we’d sit with Lance, Hunk, and Pidge the day of the game. So that’s what we’re doing. I’m leaning into Lance’s side and pretending not to notice that he’s stealing my chips. Veronica decided to sit with us so she could discuss the parental meeting tonight with Acxa. Hunk is trying to explain the art of the soufflé to Pidge, who in turn is trying to tell him about how she upgraded her camera with her brother’s help.

“Keith?” Lance whispers in my ear.

I tilt my head up from where it’s leaning on his shoulder so I can look at him. “Yeah?”

“Do you want to do something before the game?” He asks, and I can see the fear of rejection in his face.

I smile and nod, then nudge his neck with my nose. “What do you have in mind?”

He pouts for a second then his face lights up. “Let’s go swimming.”

I raise an eyebrow. “Okay.”

He looks down at me and grins. “Just meet me by my truck after school and we can go straight to the pool. I always keep some towels in my locker, so we don’t need to worry about stopping anywhere.”

“What about swimming trunks?” I ask.

Lance shrugs the shoulder that I’m not leaning on. “Just swim in your boxers. I do it all the time.”

“And then? Afterwards? Go commando?” I raise an eyebrow again.

Lance smirks down at me and wiggles his eyebrows. “Why not, Babe?”

“Ugh, alright I guess it’s fine. I have to get ready for the game straight after, anyway,” I say with a groan.

He grins and plants a kiss on my forehead. The bell rings and he shrugs me off his shoulder so he can grab his camera and backpack.

“I’ll see you later,” he says and is turning around but I grab his hand and turn him back around to face me.

He raises an eyebrow and I pucker my lips pointedly. He rolls his eyes but obliges me with a chaste kiss and rushes off with another goodbye. Acxa is staring at me with a raised eyebrow when I turn back to the table. So is Pidge and Hunk and Veronica.

“What?” I ask indignantly.

Acxa and Veronica just shake their heads. Hunk gives me a genuinely happy smile. Pidge cocks her head and narrows her eyes.

“You have that boy _whipped_. I never thought I’d see the day,” she says.

Hunk nudges her as they stand. “I don’t know why you’re so surprised. He’s the only guy we’ve heard Lance talk about since freshman year.”

“Huh. I guess you’re right,” Pidge concedes.

Veronica waves goodbye to Acxa before heading out of the cafeteria. Pidge and Hunk say their goodbyes before heading off to their classes. When they’re gone I look to Acxa, who’s still packing stuff into her bag. I shove the last of my fries into my mouth and pack my water bottle back into my bag. Acxa looks over at me as she stands and leans against the table to wait for me.

“What do you think they meant when they said Lance talked about only me for years?” I ask as I stand.

Acxa shrugs and rolls her eyes. “Keith. He’s your boyfriend. They probably meant that he had a crush on you for ages. Just like you had a crush on him for ages.”

She gets a glimpse of my defensive face. “Oh, don’t you start with that. I knew about your little crush. Do you really think I bought all that crap about being really into photography every time you asked to go to the art exhibitions. Oh, no. You were trying to get a glimpse of little, old Lance.”

She cackles when she sees my expression. I honestly thought I’d managed to fool her with that one. I’d have no faith in my lying abilities if she hadn’t fallen for the fake dating thing.

“Come on,” she says, grabbing my arm. “We’ll be late to study hall.”

-

I meet Lance by his truck at the end of the day, as agreed. I’m early and it’s a couple minutes before I spot him jogging across the parking lot with two towels in his arms. He looks around before kissing me on the cheek when he reaches me.

“Hey. Sorry it took a while. I had to drop off the USB with the new photos to-” I cut him off with a kiss to his lips.

He’s grinning when I pull back. “Babbling again? Sorry. Should we go?”

I nod and he unlocks the truck for us. I climb into the cab next to him and look around for a seat belt.

“Oh, yeah. There’s no passenger seat belt. Marco ripped it out when it was his. Apparently it made a really irritating rattling noise when he drove so…” Lance tries to explain.

I laugh. “It’s fine. As long as we don’t get pulled over.”

Lance nods at me with a grin and backs out of his parking spot. I watch him out of the corner of my eye while he drives us to the local pool. We pull into the parking lot and he rushes around the car to open my door.

“After you, my dear,” he says with a smirk.

I give him a gentle shove as I hop out of the cab and he chuckles at me. Then he reaches past me to grab the towels and slides his free hand into mine before leading me into the building.

“Yanno, I’ve lived here my whole life, and I’ve never come here before,” I say.

Lance glances at me and smiles as we walk through the entrance. “I come here at least twice a week.”

I turn to him. “What? You swim?” He nods. “I didn’t know you swam.”

He side-eyes me as we approach the reception desk. “Then you obviously weren’t paying attention.”

He doesn’t sound very happy, so I look down at the floor and let Lance walk up to the desk.

“Hey Rachel,” he says, suddenly cheery.

I look up and see his older sister manning the desk. “Hey lil’ bro!” She looks over his shoulder at me. “Ooh! Date night? Hi Keith.”

I wave at her and step a little closer to Lance. “Hey Rachel. I didn’t know you worked here.”

She waves a hand. “Oh, yeah. Just part time. I like having some money to spend while I’m at college.”

I nod and let the two siblings converse a bit more before Lance leads me down a hallway to the changing rooms.

“I was paying so much attention that almost nothing else mattered,” I mutter as we’re stripping off our shirts.

Lance looks over at me and smiles gently. “It’s not important, Keith. You can drop it.”

I nod and start shuffling out of my pants. Lance is shoving our stuff into a cubby hole and handing me a towel when I reach for his hand.

“I knew you swam at the beach because it reminds you of Cuba. I just didn’t know you swam in a pool.”

He grins and squeezes my hand. “I’m actually on the swim team at school.”

I look up at him, very surprised. “What? How did I not know this? Maybe I’m not as observant as I thought I was-”

Lance pulls away from kissing me with a smirk. “It was my turn to cut you off. And I was joking. If I was on the swim team and you hadn’t known that then I’d be very disappointed in you. I’m not on the swim team. Veronica is though.”

I punch him gently and let him lead me out to the pool side. He leads me to the lane pool and places his towel in an empty chair. I drop mine in the chair next to it.

“Lets do some laps together,” He says and then squints. “Are you going to leave your hair out?”

I run a hand through my hair and shrug. “Yeah. I guess. Why?”

He shakes his head and steps behind me. I’m about to protest when I feel his hands pulling my hair out of my face to the back of my head. He fiddles around with a rubber band and my hair for a minute before stepping back to examine his work.

“Okay. You’re good now.”

“Rubber bands aren’t good for your hair,” I say.

Lance grins and ruffles my hair. “And a mullet is? Come on.”

I watch as he dives into the pool cleanly and I pencil dive in after him. When I surface, he’s grinning at the ceiling and floating on his back. I smile and take up the same position.

“This is always better at the beach,” he says. “Then you can stare at the sky instead of a metal ceiling.”

I nod, even though he can’t see me. I feel the water shift near me and then his hand is sliding along my arm in search of my hand. His fingers link with mine and I can’t help but grin up at the ceiling. We never end up swimming laps.

-

Lance drops me home after a couple hours and he kisses me goodbye – he says it’s for Shiro and Adam, who are standing at the kitchen window and staring out at us. I wave as I head up the walk and don’t even make it to the front steps before the door is being flung open and Adam is stepping out to drag me inside. He sits me down at the table in the kitchen where Shiro is already sitting.

“Okay, we know you have to go get ready like right now, but we need to hear about your date. You have wet hair. Did you go to his place and shower together?” Adam demands with a wide smile on his face.

Shiro flicks his hand. “Adam, leave him alone about the date. And I don’t want to know about his sexual habits with the boy he started dating this week. Keith, I just wanted to let you know that I booked a hotel room for you and Lance for tomorrow night after the dance.”

My eyes widen and my jaw drops. “What? What happened to not wanting to know my sexual habits?”

Shiro rolls his eyes and Adam chuckles.

“Not specifically for getting laid, though that’s what I would be using it for-”

“Ew!” I interject.

“-But you can use it for you and your whole group of friends, or you can just hang out,” he finishes with a glare.

I sigh and look up at Adam. “He isn’t going to let me turn this down, is he?”

Adam shakes his head and leans down to hug me. “You’re growing up so fast, Keith. We just want you to have as many typical high school experiences as possible.”

I wrap my arms around Adam in return. Shiro gets up and joins in.

“I just have one question,” I ask, and Shiro pulls back to nod. “Is there an outdoor pool?”

-

“Lance? Hey.”

“Hey!”

“I just wanted to thank you for earlier. It was really nice”

“I had fun. We should do it again.”

“Yeah.”

“…”

“So…”

“Is that all you called for?”

“Huh? Oh! No! Uh, I called to tell you that Shiro, he um, booked us a hotel room for tomorrow night after the dance. You don’t have to come with me! I have to go so he won’t give me shit, and if you don’t want to come that’s fine. I guess I could ask Acxa to come drink with me or something, but-”

“You couldn’t have made this a verbal conversation? Kissing would have come in handy right now.”

“Right. Sorry.”

“It’s fine, Keith. I’d love to come.”

“Really? I mean, yeah. Alright. It’ll be fun. We could still invite some friends if you want to?”

“Uh, actually I think I’d prefer it if it were just us.”

“Alright. Yeah, me too actually.”

“Okay.”

“…”

“…”

“Uh, I have to go, or I’ll be late to the game.”

“We couldn’t have that.”

“No.”

“Okay, so I’ll see you just before the game starts right? I do have to wear your letterman jacket, after all.”

“Yeah. I’ll see you soon.”

“Bye.”


	5. Chapter 5 - Lance

Pidge was never going to agree to meet me before the game. She always spends game nights locked in her bedroom playing Fortnite. Luckily, Hunk agreed to come with me. I picked him up just before the game and then we headed to the back of the school.

“Why’s your hair wet?” Hunk asks when he first gets in the car.

“Oh. I went swimming. With Keith.”

Hunk smirks at me across the car and I shove him gently with a laugh. “Not like that. Jeez.”

He nods but continues smirking. He fiddles with the radio, trying to get a good signal and then an old Taylor Swift song fills the car.

“Allura and Romelle asked me if we want to sit with them at the game, but I’ll be on the side lines taking photos, so I told them you might, yanno, just so you know that you don’t have to sit alone,” I say as I’m parking my truck.

Hunk laughs. “Lance, you don’t have to feel bad about ditching me. I already asked them if I could sit with them.”

I glance at him and grin. “Alright. I just don’t want you to feel abandoned.”

Hunk reaches over and pats my shoulder. “Don’t worry, Lance. It’s too late for that.”

He gets out of the truck with a laugh. I grin as I turn off the engine and grab my camera bag and tripod before following him.

“Okay, before you go off to canoodle with your boyfriend, will you come get coffee and popcorn with me?”

I nod and sling my camera bag over my shoulder. We order a coffee each (mine with three sugars) from the coffee cart parked by the parking lot and then head over to the bleachers when we have our shared box of popcorn. Hunk decides to wait with me down by the field until more people arrive so that we don’t have to be alone quite yet.

“Would you rather never bake cookies for Pidge again, or only bake cookies for Pidge, no other baking allowed?” I ask.

We decided to play Would You Rather to pass the time around ten minutes ago, when we realised that we were quite early.

“Lance! How could you ask me that? You know I love baking for _everyone_!” Hunk exclaims, genuinely upset by my question.

“I sure hope you choose no cookies for Pidge, because I’m yet to try your famous chocolate cake,” a voice says from behind us.

I spin on the ground where I’m sitting and look up at the source of the voice. Keith is grinning down at us and when he meets my eyes, I can’t help but smile too.

“Hi Keith,” Hunk greets him.

Keith nods at Hunk before sitting down and shuffling so that he’s behind me. He then wraps his legs around my waist and leans his head on my shoulder. I kiss the small bit of forehead I can reach and smile down at him as he nuzzles his face into the crook of my neck.

I look across at Hunk and see him watching us with a knowing look on his face. I raise an eyebrow at him, and he just shakes his head.

“Oh!” Keith exclaims, pulling away from me slightly.

I try to turn, but his legs are still wrapped around me, so I twist my torso awkwardly and see Keith unzipping his big gym bag. He pulls out a bundle of orange and white fabric. I watch as he unfolds it and lifts it up to reveal his letterman jacket.

“As you requested,” he murmurs against my ear as he drapes it over my shoulders.

A blush spreads out over my cheeks, which only deepens when Keith’s arms slip around my waist and he kisses my jaw. Hunk clears his throat and I look over at him sheepishly. He smiles at us both before pushing himself to his feet.

“I just saw Allura over by the coffee cart. I’m gonna head over and say hi. You two, uh, just keep doing what you’re doing,” he says and heads off with a wave.

Keith nudges my head with his forehead. “Think we scared him off?”

I grin and chuckle. “I think we must be pretty convincing.”

I feel his smile when he kisses my cheek.

“When do you have to go warm up?” I ask, nuzzling my face against his.

He presses his lips to my shoulder. “Soon. But I’ll always make time for you, Loverboy.”

I blush again and I realise I’ve never been this happy with anyone before. Keith makes me forget about my family’s money problems, and the demands of photographing everything I can in order to fill my folio, and the pressure to do well this year. He’s gorgeous and I’d love to sit him down in my bed and spend hours snapping photos of him. He makes me want to improve in every aspect of my life and I want to tell him so.

I open my mouth, but someone beats me to speaking.

“Kogane! No more canoodling! Get your butt out here and warm up with your team,” Coach Iverson yells across the field.

Keith sighs and slowly peels himself away from me. He slings his bag over his shoulder and smiles down at me.

“I’ll see you at half time,” he says and starts to walk away.

“Keith, wait!” I call.

He turns to me and barely has time to register what’s going on as I throw my arms around his neck. My lips lock with his, and our mouths slide together. Keith presses one hand to the small of my back and uses it to pull my body flush against his.

“McClain, don’t think I won’t make you run laps!” Coach yells, interrupting the moment.

Keith pulls away grinning. “We can’t have that now, can we? You wouldn’t survive and then who would I take to the dance?”

I shove his shoulder but can’t keep myself from mirroring his grin. He presses a small peck to my mouth and runs off before I can protest any further.

My camera bag in still on the ground with my coffee. Hunk took the popcorn, but I’m not too bothered by it. I pick up the coffee and my bag, deciding I might as well set up now rather than later. And who knows? I might end up with some shots of my very pretty (fake) boyfriend stretching.

I do manage to snap a few shots of Keith stretching across the field, and once the game starts I have to remind myself that there are ten other people on the team who deserve to have some photos of them playing in the yearbook. I took a lot photos of people as they arrived and started crowding into the bleachers. With a camera held up to my face the whole game and my focus entirely on angles and lighting and action shots, I’m not entirely sure who’s winning when the end of the game rolls around. However, through my camera lens, I watch as the Garrison team lifts Keith into the air and cheers, everyone hugging and clapping each other on the back. I smile for them, for my school, and for Keith, because I know this means a lot to them, even if I don’t understand the excitement.

I start taking the lens off my camera and putting everything into my bag again. The crowd is still cheering behind me and the noise is deafening. My camera slides into its spot and I start to zip up my bag, ready to go find Hunk to give him a ride home.

“Lance!” I hear, but with the cheers behind me, I don’t recognise the voice.

Turning, I spot Keith jogging towards me with a wide smile spread across his features. I can’t help but smile back at him. His joy is infectious.

“You won!” I barely get out before he crashes into me and presses our lips together.

His strong arms wrap around my waist and he lifts me off the ground, spinning me, and never letting our mouths break apart. A new round of cheers and a couple of wolf whistles cut through the air and I smile against Keith’s mouth. He sets me down, but only so he can bend me backwards slightly so that we’re in a pose that reminds me of that iconic V-J Day in Times Square photo.

We finally pull apart to catch our breaths and Keith rests his forehead against mine.

“I thought dramatics were my thing,” I say through jagged breath.

Keith laughs and gives me a quick kiss. “You’ve obviously never seen me in victory mode.”

I smile softly up at him. “I obviously wasn’t paying enough attention.”

He nudges my nose with his. “I’m sure you were paying too much attention.”

I kiss him again and can’t help but think, _holy shit. I’m so in love with this boy._

Keith helps me rebalance myself, and he wraps an arm around my shoulders the second I straighten from picking up my camera bag and empty coffee cup. He leads me over to the team, who are all busy wiping the sweat from their faces, and he introduces me as his lucky charm, which just makes me blush. One of the guys, James, is joking that they all thought Keith didn’t know what feelings were when Hunk comes over and taps me on the shoulder, letting me know he’s ready to go.

“Hey, Keith. I gotta go,” I say, tugging gently on his shirt.

He turns to me and looks me up and down before directing me a little off to the side. He places a hand on my waist and steps closer, dropping his face so it’s close to mine.

“Let me take you out tomorrow,” he says.

I look over his shoulder, hoping Hunk doesn’t mind that I’m not rushing. “But… Aren’t we going to the dance?”

Keith chuckles softly. “I meant let me take you out before that.”

“Oh. Yeah. Alright.”

Keith grins. “Great. I’ll pick you up at five-thirty.”

He goes to turn back to his friends. Hunk appears at my side and raises an eyebrow at me.

“Do you think I have to be ready for the dance at that time?” I ask, though Hunk probably has no idea what I’m talking about.

He shrugs, as expected, and leads me away from the football field with the promise of brownies when I drop him home.


	6. Chapter 6 - Keith

Stupid. Stupid. Stupid! Why’d I have to go and ask Lance out? I didn’t need to. He probably thinks I’m obsessed with him or something. I don’t know what got a hold of me. Seeing him standing there, wearing my letterman jacket, blushing at everything the team was saying just had some effect on me. He’s stunning and I love him, and I have to remind myself that this is all fake. It’s easy to forget that.

I got home after the game stressing so much that I was basically tearing my hair out. Adam spotted me from the office and called Shiro in to help him calm me down. I ended up spilling my guts to them about how the whole relationship was fake. After they’d finished laughing at me, they gave me the advice I fully expected to receive.

“Tell him how you feel.”

Stupid.

Instead of asking Shiro and Adam for advice on my spontaneous date with Lance, I called Acxa, who also made fun of me. Though, her making fun of me was more along the lines of calling me sappy and whipped.

“Acxa, stop making fun of me. I need help,” I whine into my phone as I lie on my bed, staring up at the ceiling.

She laughs again. “Dude. Why are you asking me for help? I barely even know the guy. You should know what he’d like to do, what he likes in general.”

I groan. “I know! But my mind is blank. I can’t stop thinking about how cute he looked in my letterman jacket tonight.”

“HA! Dude, you are so-”

“-Whipped. I know. Help me!”

Acxa sighs into the phone. “Fine. On my first date with Roni, I took her to a supermarket, and we bought a whole bunch of food, then we went to a park and had a picnic. I guess cause Lance and Roni are twins, Lance would also thoroughly enjoy a date like that. Just simple activities that let you talk and hold hands.”

“Wow. That actually sounds like a good idea. Thanks.”

I can almost hear Acxa rolling her eyes as she says, “You sound surprised. Hey, I gotta go. I’m actually still at the McClain house. I had to excuse myself in order to answer your needy calls and I should probably get back.”

“Okay. Fine. Have fun.”

And with that she hangs up on me. I sigh and continue staring up at the ceiling for a while before remembering that I still haven’t showered after the game. The exhaustion hits my muscles five minutes after I step into the shower and I have to fight to keep myself on my feet. I force myself to stay awake for another ten minutes, enough for me to pull on a pair of pajama pants and stumble into my bed. I check my phone before sleep takes over completely and I see a text from Lance.

_I really like wearing your jacket. It smells like you_

A smile spreads across my face and I hug my blanket closer to my chest as I think out a reply.

_Well you look really cute in it so I might have to give you a hoodie of mine to wear too_

My eyes start getting heavy as I wait for a reply to replace the three dots. I force my eyes open when I realise they’ve been closed, and I see his reply.

_You should do that… then maybe you could take it off some time xx_

My cheeks flush and suddenly I’m no longer tired.

-

When I finally drag myself out of bed around one in the afternoon the next day, I decide that maybe I should shower before going to face Adam and Shiro. And maybe I should change my sheets too.

So, twenty minutes later, I sneak out of the laundry room and enter the kitchen with a very fake yawn. Shiro raises an eyebrow at me but goes back to his coffee. I look around the kitchen and peek through to the lounge but don’t spot Adam.

“Adam had to go the office this morning and then he was going to pick up your boutonnieres. He should be back soon,” Shiro says without even looking up.

“Oh. Alright,” I reply and decide to rummage through the fridge for some food.

“There’s waffles in the microwave for you.”

“Ew, Shiro! I’ve told you not to microwave waffles! The toaster, man! The toaster!” I exclaim, rescuing my poor waffles from the microwave and instead pulling out the toaster.

Shiro shrugs over by the window. “I like my waffles soggy.”

I repress the urge to gag and instead focus on cleaning the maple syrup bottle so that it’s acceptable for human hands. Shiro looks up with a grimace when the toaster pops so I throw the maple-covered cloth at his head. He just throws it right back. And he has better aim than me.

“Oh. Is Lance eighteen yet? Cause only an eighteen year old can sign you into your room tonight,” Shiro says as he gets up from the dining table with his empty cup so he can rinse it out.

I have to turn my phone on to check the date, and despite it being homecoming season (which should have tipped me off) I’m surprised to find that it’s October fifth.

“Yeah. His birthday was over the summer.”

Shiro nods and continues washing out his coffee mug. I’m debating whether to top my waffles with strawberries or bananas along with the maple syrup when Shiro turns around and leans against the counter with his arms crossed over his chest – his dad pose. He may be more like a brother to me than a father, but his dad pose works on everyone. I gulp and forget about the fruit.

“Okay. I know I said I didn’t want to know anything about your sex life, but I think it’s time for The Talk,” he says seriously.

“Oh God. Shiro, no. I got the talk from the health teacher back in freshman year. You don’t have-”

I watch in horror as Shiro opens one of the cupboards and pulls out a small plastic bag. He hands it to me with a grimace.

“Now, I want you to use these. Trust me, STIs aren’t fun and you should try avoiding getting one at all costs.”

“Oh, my god!” I cry and open the bag to confirm that it is indeed a box of condoms that he’s handed me.

With another cry, I throw the bag with the box in it across the room where it hits the wall and falls with a thud in the now silent room. Shiro is looking anywhere but at me and I’m gaping like a fish. We’d probably continue standing like this if it weren’t for Adam coming in with a big smile and a box of donuts. He pauses in the doorway and then looks at his feet where the box of condoms has fallen out of the bag and landed.

“Okay. I know what happened here. Quick, everyone take a donut.”

He comes over to hold the box up between us and we all slowly take a donut, even though I’ve still got my untouched waffles right behind me on the bench. He nods, still smiling and takes a bite of his donut.

“Now, Keith, you’re going to go pick up that box and you’re going to take it, as well as your boutonnieres, to your room so you can put them with your stuff for later. You’re not allowed to argue with me because I bought donuts.”

I groan and go retrieve the box. Adam points down the hallway to my bedroom. I sigh, dropping my head, and follow his pointing. I hear Adam laugh before saying “They’re going to be cute,” to Shiro, who grunts, and I can imagine him cleaning his clean coffee cup again just to avoid recounting our conversation.

-

I text Lance to let him know I’m on my way around five-fifteen and ten minutes later my motorcycle is pulling up in front of his house. Almost as soon as I take off my helmet and turn the engine off, the front door opens and Lance races out, thankfully not in his suit, which means he did get my message. In fact, he’s wearing my letterman jacket again. I clamber off the bike to greet him.

“Hey, you look-” I start to say but he quickly cuts me off.

“We have to go now. Mamá will kill you if she sees your bike. You look great,” he says in a rush before kissing my cheek and hopping on the back end of the motorcycle.

I laugh and hand him my helmet. “Your head is more important than mine. Put that on.”

He does and then peers up at me through the visor. “What about you?”

“I’ll be fine. I’m not the one most at risk of falling off,” I say, unable to wipe the smile from my face and I climb on in front of him.

“You have helmet hair,” I hear whispered into my ear from behind the helmet.

I smile softly. “And now I’ll have windblown hair.”

Lance rests his chin on my shoulder, though the helmet rubbing against my head kind of ruins what would have otherwise been a nice moment. “Maybe I can untangle it while you drive.”

I blush and reach backwards to pull his hands around my waist. “Not unless you want me to crash. Hold on.”

Lance shuffles forward so his whole chest is pressed to my back and he tightens his grip on my waist. I start the engine and then we’re off, with Lance whooping in my ear. He stops whooping after about three minutes, probably realising that this could be a long drive and that it’s still light out.

It actually isn’t too far to our destination and we get there in ten minutes. I stop the engine and climb off before offering Lance a hand. He takes it, blushing and struggles to get his lanky legs over the bike. When his feet are both planted firmly to the ground, I reach up and take the helmet off his head. The second the helmet leaves his head, I let out a sharp laugh.

“What?” Lance looks at me, concerned.

I reach a hand to his hair and run my fingers through the mess. “You’ve got helmet hair.”

He grins and leans forward to rest his forehead against mine. “Then we match.”

He takes my hand and laces his fingers through mine before looking around. “Uh, why are we at a forest?”

I grin and grab my backpack from one of the saddle bags. Lance raises an eyebrow and is about to open his mouth when I start pulling him after me into the trees. We stumble over roots and fallen logs for a few minutes before finally breaking through onto a beach.

“Wha-?” Lance splutters.

I turn and grin at him after placing my backpack on a log. “This is Lake Quiznak.”

I watch as he scans the length of the beach with wide eyes. “It’s beautiful. How’d I not know about this place?”

“It’s privately owned.” I shrug. “Coach Iverson’s cousin owns the land, and he brings the team here sometimes for training. He makes us swim lengths to keep our legs strong. But he gave us all permission to come here whenever after we won the season last year.”

Lance is still staring out at the water and his hand has gone limp in mine. I squeeze it and his eyes flick to mine. His blue irises are shining, and I suddenly worry that I upset him by bringing him here.

“Lance, I’m sorry. Is this okay? I thought we could swim and watch the sunset, but we can go somewhere else if-”

He shuts me up by pressing his lips to mine. I melt against him and tilt my head so that our mouths lock together perfectly. I slide my hands around his neck and feel his hands slip over my waist, tugging me even closer so that our bodies are flush against each other. Our mouths move together desperately, and we only break apart to catch our breaths. We press our foreheads together and I nudge his nose with mine.

“I love it, Keith. Thank you.”

His breath tickles my cheeks and I lean forward to capture his lips with mine again. I slide my hands from around his neck to his shoulders, and I slip my hands under the open letterman jacket so that I can slowly slip it off him. His hands come away from my waist so that the jacket can come off. The jacket lands in the sand with a thud. He quickly places his fingers on my hips, nudging them under the hem of my shirt.

“Lance,” I mumble into his mouth.

He groans and bites my lip. I arch my back, pressing my hips into his, to which he responds by bucking his hips into mine. Now it’s my turn to groan.

“Lance,” I say again against his lips.

“Keith,” he grinds out in response.

“I’m in love with you,” I breathe out.

Lance pulls away abruptly and my heart sinks. My head drops and I just stare down at the sand. My fingers fiddle with the hem of my shirt, trying to smooth it down again.

“Oh,” I whisper. “I thought maybe… I’m sorry. I’ll just take you home.”

I reach down to grab my backpack and try to force down the tears that are threatening to spill from my eyes. My arm brushes against Lance’s as I step past him and I jump back from the contact, walking into the forest again. Well, I guess I won’t be going to the dance tonight anymore. Lance can go alone, though he’ll probably be glad he doesn’t have to hang off my arm all night pretending to be my boyfriend when obviously he wants to be anything but. I hear footsteps rushing to keep up behind me and I just quicken my pace.

“Keith!” Lance calls, but I just keep marching on, desperate to get home and crawl into bed to cry.

A hand wraps around my arm and I almost trip over a fallen branch in my attempt to get out of Lance’s hold. His grip doesn’t falter so I stop fighting and just look anywhere but at him.

“Keith, look at me,” he says gently.

I shake my head and feel the tears start to fall. Well now I definitely can’t look at him.

He sighs and his grip loosens. “Keith, listen to me. I never thought I’d hear you say those words. I didn’t think I was your type. You took me by surprise.”

I shuffle a little bit on my feet, desperate to get out of here. Then Lance slides his hand down my arm to my hand, which he links with his. I look up at him now and see him smiling down at our interlocked hands.

“I’m in love with you, Keith Kogane.” My breath hitches in my throat. “I have been for years.”

He chuckles softly and steps closer to me. His free hand lifts to stroke my cheek. I can’t help but lean into the touch, closing my eyes for a few seconds as I do.

“How about we go back to the lake and swim. We can watch the sunset, and I can kiss you senseless,” he whispers, leaning in closer to me.

I nod just before his lips brush mine in a sweet kiss. Then he’s leading me back to the beach and helping me out of my clothes, while I do the same to him. We press kisses to each other’s skin and slide our hands over every part of the other’s body.

We entirely forget to watch the sunset.


End file.
